| |
 K-State no one-hit wonder
Posted: Tuesday July 06, 1999 03:31 PM
Many people expect to see Kansas State exposed as a one-season wonder this fall. That's fine with media-shy Wildcats coach Bill Snyder, who never got comfortable with the attention that accompanied his team's run at the national championship in 1998. But the truth is that Kansas State has built a solid talent base and should remain in the thick of the Big 12 race. Snyder thinks his defense has actually been energized by departure of defensive coordinator Mike Stoops, who left to join his brother, Bob, at Oklahoma. The most encouraging thing of all for K-State fans is that there are only 13 seniors on the roster, so the 2000 team should be loaded.
JoePa thinking championshipJoe Paterno would never admit it, but he clearly thinks he has a very special team. Look at the signs: He allowed the players to elect captains before the season, and he's been stricter than usual about enforcing his unwritten rule forbidding players from living off-campus, in order to foster unity. The Nittany Lions have just opened their $13.8 million football complex, and the place would look nice with a national championship banner hanging in the lobby.
Unwelcome distractionsAs for those two other Big Ten powers, the investigation of two Michigan players suspected of being involved in an embezzlement ring is just the latest in a series of embarrassing off-field incidents for the button-downed Maize and Blue. The quarterback competition between incumbent senior Tom Brady and sophomore superstar-in-waiting Drew Henson will provide a welcome diversion. At Ohio State, senior offensive lineman Rob Murphy, who stayed eligible last year on the Katzenmoyer Plan, flunked out of school. There may be an upside for the Buckeyes: Murphy wasn't tight with his younger O-line mates, and his absence shouldn't hurt.
BCS getting smarterThe much-maligned Bowl Championship Series made news by adding several more computers to its formula. That's likely to make the BCS the butt of even more jokes, but it's a smart move, diminishing the impact of a single rogue rating, More significantly, the BCS toughened its standards for admission, a move squarely aimed at the fading Big East, which desperately needs a breakout year from Miami or Syracuse or it will move closer to dropping from the ranks of power conferences.
| |||||||||||||||||
Copyright © 1999 CNN/SI. A Time Warner Company. Terms under which this service is provided to you.
| |||||||||||||||||
